Hand hygiene is an important aspect in maintaining public health. In communal areas, door handles are touched by large numbers of people and can be responsible for the transfer of disease-causing microbes from person to person, particularly where one or more individuals exercise poor hand hygiene. The likelihood of door handles being responsible for the spread of microbes is particularly high for toilet doors, kitchen doors, public access ways, and for doors in other communal areas, such as doors within buildings used by a large number of people. A single person failing to wash their hands adequately (or at all) will microbially contaminate a door handle (for example a handle of the toilet block) by touching the handle. The deposited micro-organisms can then colonise the handle, and some micro-organisms will inevitably be transferred to the hands of any subsequent person who touches the handle. The risk of microbial transfer via a door handle can be a particular problem in premises providing food, such as cafes and restaurants. An equivalent problem also arises for any contact surface which is touched by multiple people, including, without limitation, push buttons, hand grips, touch pads and the like.
The problem of hand hygiene is often tackled in hospitals by the provision of sanitising hand gel. However, this is not generally available in other buildings or locations and also relies upon compliance by each person, i.e. that each person will remember to use the hand gel before entry. This issue of compliance has been tackled by Altitude Medical Inc. who have created a door handle which automatically dispenses a portion of sanitising hand gel as the handle is pulled (see WO2014/035610). An alternative device is provided by Pure Hold Ltd (see WO2011/128652). However, it is not always appropriate for a sanitising hand gel to be used at every public access way.
WO 2011/042741 describes a cover for a door handle which includes a porous material holding disinfectant which acts as a reservoir. The disinfectant is squeezed through the cover when the porous material is compressed, for example by a user holding the handle. However, the device described has the disadvantage that squeezing the porous material too hard will result in too much disinfectant being expelled, and in some cases can lead to disinfectant dripping out of the device in an undesirable manner. Additionally, the porous material is inappropriate for areas of high use, where wear and tear would cause the material to degrade.
GB2506386A describes an apparatus specifically for use with a door which comprises a grip portion of the handle being configured to offer the user a partially disinfected surface. However, this arrangement would not provide the necessary protection for the user.